Gearing



July 26, 1932. w. A. FRANTZ 1,869,056

GEARING Filed July 11, 1929 Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFICE AJFRANTZ, OI CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE APEX ELEC- TRICAL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO V 1 Application filed m 11,

r The invention relates to gearing and especially to gear mechanism for clothes Washing machines and has for its object the-provision of a new, improved and simplified device for adjusting a rack toward and from its pinion, said device being operable from a position at one end of the pinlon; the provisionof a gear mechanism wherein the machining operations are particularly few and simple; the provision of a gear mechanism having particular advantages in quantity production; the provision of means for taking up looseness in a rack-and-p1n1on drive from the outside of the gear-box with- '1 out permitting oil leakage; while further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View through part of the bottom of a washing machine containing my improvements; Fig. 2 is a horizontal sec- ,tional view corresponding to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a separated perspective view of some of the parts.

1 denotes the sheet-metal bottom of the tub which is here formed at its center with an upwardly embossed portion 2 centrally apertured at 3. Located beneath the tub bottom is a horizontal gear-box 4 having 50 the top-plate 5 bolted thereto and apertured at 6 for the reception of the flange 7 carrying the packing-box 8 whose upper end carries the threaded shoulder 9 projecting through the opening 3 and the flange 1O underlying the tub bottom adjacent to the opening. The parts are held tight and leak-proof by the nut 11.

Threaded into the mouth of the packingbox 8 is the gland nut 12 and journaled in this nut and packing-box is the rock-shaft 13 to which is keyed the pinion 14 meshing with the rack 15. Formed in the bottom wall of the gear-box 4 coaxially with the packing box 8 is an aperture 16 in which is rotatably seated the hollow neck 17 of an adjusting member constituting a kind of cage. Interior-1y this neck is formed for the reception of the end portion 18 of the shaft 13, and the end of the neck is preferably closed as shown at 19 so as to prevent GEARING 1929. Serial No. 377,366.

any possible leakage of .oil around the shaft. 1

Exteriorly the extreme end of the neckis provided with a. prismatic head 20 to enable rotation thereof, and near that head with screw-threads 21 for the reception of a jamnut by which the neck is held in adjusted position, leakage being prevented by a gasket 22. Inside the gearbox the neck terminates in a shoulder 23 constituting the end of a hollow body composed of two verti- 0 cally-spaced circular ribs 24 defining between them the open space 25 and rigidly together at one side by the longitudinal web 26. The internal diameter of this body is suflicient freely to receive the pinion 14: as shown in Fig. 2, and theexterior' of said body is cylindrical but slightly eccentric to that pinion as also shown in Fig. 2. Oscillatably mounted on the exterior of this body 24 is the hub 30 of a stirrup whose two side-pieces 3131 are carried by a wear-plate 32 embracing the rear face of the rack 15 and holding the same against the pinion.

To adjust the rack against the pinion it is necessary merely to release the jam-nut 21 and rotate the head 20 slightly with a wrench afterwards tightening up the nut.

Inasmuch as the eccentricity is not made'at all great it is possible for the rack, and stirrup to oscillate about the pinion to some extent without binding. It will be understood that any convenient mechanical movement can be employed for reciprocating the rack. Among the important practical advantages of this invention is the fact that all the essential machining of the gear-box can be efi'ected with a single chucking of the article and from one side since it is only necessary that the aperture 16 be coaxial with the aperture 6 and perpendicular to the seat which is preferred for the plate 7. The cage and neck canalso be made sufficiently a ccurate by simple means, and the packing-box element is also easy to make, and align therewith. The tolerances permitted by this de- 1 sign are such as to facilitate quantity production and the shaft and packing box element can be assembled in quantity and applied to any gear-box indiscriminately. Besidesthe device is not subject to oil leakage.

I have shown the upper end of the shaft 13 as provided with a driving head 33 to which is applied a washing element 34. It will be understood that changes in details can be made within the scope of my invention and I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown except as I have recited the same in detail in my several claims,

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

-1. In a mechanical movement, the combination with a rack-and-pinion of a hollow cage surrounding said pinion, and a stirrup movably mounted on said cage andihaving a part engaging said rack to hold the same gainst'said pin e i cag havi g portions of its WELll'fOIHlGd o enable uninterrupted engagement between said rack and said pinion and having its exterior eccentric rela i ely o. said pin e o n bl djustment of the distance between said rack and said pinion, said Cage also having a pri matic portion projecting beyond said pinion at on nd whereby i m y b aimed to, r fl ct such adjustment,

2- In a mechanical mo m nt, the combinaticn wi h a rackran p n on of a ol w cage surrounding said pinion, a stirrup movably mounted on said cage and having a part engaging s d ra k t hold th me ga n said p nion, s i cas having po tion of ts wall formed to enable uninterrupted engagement between said rack and said pinion and having its exterior eccentric relatively to said pinion to enable adjustment of the dis,-

tance between said rack and said pinion, a housing surrounding both said rack and pinion, and means operative from the exterior of said housingto adjust said cage angularly about said pinion.

3, In a mechanical movement, thecombina e wi h a rack-and-ninion of a ol ow age su o ng sa d pinion, a d cage ha ng a e k ceax' al with said p o a h u ing for saidrack andpinion, said housing having in its wall an aperture for said neck and said neck being formed outside of said housing with provisions for the reception of a tool for adjusting the same angularly about its axis, and means located inside said housing and operatively engaging said. cage and said rack for varying the distance between said rack and said pinion as said cage is rotated about its axis.

4. In a mechanical movement, a gear-box having a bearing in one wall and an aperture in the opposite wall in line with said hearing. arock-shaft journaled in said bearing and traversing said gear-box, a pinion car- 3 ried by said shaft inside said gearbox, a hollow neck rotatably mounted in said aperture, said shaft projecting into said neck, a rack inside said gear-box meshing with said pinion, an element inside said gear-box engagsaid rack and holding it against said pinion, said neck being formed outside of said gear-box with provisions for the reception of a tool for adjusting the same about its axis and inside of said gear-box with provisions for engaging said element and thereby drawa k asai said pinion- 5. In a meehan moi m nt; a g having a bearing in one wall and an aperture in the opposite Wall in line with said bearing, a rock-shaft jeurnaled in said bearing and traversingsaid gear-box, a pinion carried by said shaft inside said gear box, a neck rotatably mounted in said aperture and having, head, means for holding said neckin adjusted position, a rack inside sa d sear-hon andense ins Pini n; va mea ins de sa d sear-hex en a ing sa tas and 13erativ l ennmd tosa d neefe ans-v ne s dr ektenasd sa d pin on as a neck is turned,

6- In a wa ing naine, a gear-hex having in e d a s e t aring and i the np e i s de well an ape tu e, af i n nae in sai b a n too hed inninn arne by a d shaftnsid w den -b x, a e sed aot ed mem e nsi e s id s -nl n me hingit aid Pin on, dianedin t n member in n a e leaned in a d aperture shady ins d aid gearos and n adin tjns h a o side sai se men, a d ody av g; a Pa m retinely enn e ed t a d eeend mott ed and adapt d when said neck s turned to move said second t o h d m ber a -1d n m sa d p n nn stim-Qny wh re I h re n o afi any s snetnre- WALTER FBANTZ- 

